Trust
by gloaming grove
Summary: AU. Friendship fic. Ino is a bit drunk & realizes Chouji is always there to take care of her. Warnings: alcohol, minor swearing. Dedicated to the guy-friends who just don't get enough credit. Might continue at some point but for now, one-shot.


I don't own Naruto. I don't make money from this.

**Trust**

Ino leaned against the pillar, momentarily grateful for the support as the room rotated around her. Now that she had moved off the dance floor, she was willing to admit that the last round of shooters may have been a bad idea. Her bladder had been demanding her attention for a while now and she looked blearily around the club for the toilet signs, but her vision was abruptly blocked by a fabric covered torso.

"Hey Angel, what's up?" A tall guy with a beer in his hand stood in front of her; a jock type and handsome enough, she noted abstractedly, but she had other things on her mind. Like where was that bathroom already?

"Nothing." She attempted to peer past him but he merely took it as an invitation to move closer.

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing standing here all alone?" It seemed she would have to be blunt.

"Look, I'm not interested right now and you're kind of in the way." His expression froze in a way that she might have found amusing if she wasn't so distracted, then twisted in a way she might have found alarming if she weren't so drunk. "And you're way too close. Back off."

He gathered himself as if to move closer, but with a glance to her right shoulder he shrugged and turned away. Ino resumed her scanning, vaguely aware of someone at her side.

"Ino, are you alright?"

She looked around at him. "I'm fine Chouji." She thought about it for a moment. "Actually I'm looking for the bathroom.

"Over there." He pointed at a large purple sign on the opposite side of the dance floor. It was obvious, really. How could she have missed it? She stared at it in bemusement for a while before realizing she had come to the complete wrong side of the room and she would have to cross the pumping dance floor again to reach it. She frowned, not convinced she was up to it. But what could she do? When you gotta go…

She glanced down briefly in surprise when Chouji took her wrist. "Come on, I'll walk you there." He tugged gently at her wrist and she followed easily in his wake, crossing the floor to the big purple sign in a fraction of the time it would have taken her alone. "I'll wait for you here."

Ino processed this information. Sure, the last round of shooters was kind of his fault, but how was he to know about the two before that from the band's bass guitarist? He didn't hang around her the _whole_ night after all. But at the same time he was always there, making sure she had a good time, looking out for her. And wasn't that what he was doing again? A brilliant smile broke onto her face. "Thanks Chouji," she leaned in to give him a brief hug, "you're the best."

She wandered into the bathroom, glad that, for once, the queue was only a few people long. Finally she reached a stall. The buttons on her jeans gave her considerably more trouble than usual. They were so…troublesome. She giggled suddenly. Maybe she'd been spending too much time with Shikamaru. When she managed to knock the loose toilet paper roll onto the floor for the second time, Ino admitted to herself that the last round had definitely been a bad idea and she'd definitely had enough.

She wandered back out of the bathroom after a brief wrestle with the hand-towel-machine-thingy. Troublesome contraption. By this time Chouji was looking a bit worried and he hurried over.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

Ino stood for a while watching the people on the dance floor, Chouji a familiar presence at her side.

"Hey Ino, do you want to go find somewhere to sit down?"

She contemplated the dull ache in her feet caused by hours dancing in lovely but rather impractical shoes. She could do with a chair around about now. And maybe some water. Definitely some water.

"Okay. But let's find some water first."

He nodded and she followed him across the club once more, stopping briefly at the bar to request and fill two glasses. They found a corner couch on the balcony. Chouji helped her to her seat and sat down next to her. The cushions dipped towards him and she found herself sliding closer. But that was okay, it was just Chouji. And the warmth was kind of nice.

They sat for a while, drinking water and watching the people milling around the bar, the beat from the dance floor reverberating through their bodies. Ino finished her water and handed the glass to Chouji. He looked at her as if to say _And what am I supposed to do with this?_ and she shrugged and looked away, before turning back and grinning cheekily. It wasn't as if she didn't know she took advantage sometimes but hey, that's one of the perks of being a girl. He put the glass down safely on the table.

Ino's hand went to her nose. It was numb. She laughed. No matter how many times she felt it, it didn't get old. In fact, her whole face was a bit numb. She turned to Chouji, "Hey, I can't feel my nose!" and burst into giggles again. He laughed with her, as he did every time at the old joke between them. After all, he'd been there to see her astonishment the first time. He'd always thought she was cute when she was drunk.

Ino rested her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. She listened to the beat, felt it in her chest. She let her mind drift. Her body was still, relaxed, comfortable. She knew there was a chance she might pass out but she also knew she was safe and besides, it felt good.

"Ino… Ino, come on. Up. Time to go." Chouji shook her out of her comfortable drifting.

"Home?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, Shikamaru's had enough. We're meeting at the truck. Come on."

Sleepy now, Ino was content to just follow him to the front door and out. The chill early morning air hit her like a wall, her figure-hugging outfit doing little to warm her. She rubbed at her arms, wishing Kiba would hurry up. A warm jacket draped her shoulders.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

She'd always felt a bit guilty taking guys' jackets. It was really her own fault that she was cold, she could have brought her own. She accepted them though. It was the way she was raised. She recalled the conversation with her mother.

"_They treated me like a girl! They won't let me do anything! They think I'm not strong enough."_

_Her mother just laughed. "Ino, you are a girl and they've been raised to treat girls with courtesy. You know you can keep up. They probably know it too. But they'll still treat you the same. Just try to accept it for now, and one day you'll learn to appreciate it."_

"_I won't! It's humiliating!"_

"_Think about it this way. If you give your friend a compliment and she stammers and denies it, it gets awkward right? But if she smiles and thanks you, you feel good. It's the same thing. And besides, what's so wrong with having men do things for you anyway?" Her mom cocked one eyebrow and laughed again at her daughter's disgruntled expression._

So in one conversation Ino learned the art of accepting both compliments and jackets. It took more time and experience to be able to use these skills to her favour, but she got there. Now the men who could stand against her wiles were few and far between.

And most of those were gathering around the trunk now. Kiba and Naruto were still rough-housing, filling the air with their yelling. So loud! Way too much energy. Shino stood nearby, quiet and gloomy and covered head to toe in fabric. Shikamaru leaned on the door, waiting. Neji and Hinata waited at the other car. Sakura… well, Sakura was hitting Naruto again and dragging him off to the car, yelling as usual. Ino smiled. Her friends. Weird, loud, embarrassing sometimes, but still hers. They knew her so well; they saw right through her. She wouldn't change it for the world.

Ino climbed into the back of Kiba's truck, grateful both for the canopy and mattresses, slightly doggy smell ignored for the moment, and for the fact that Shikamaru was driving. From the way Kiba was carrying on he was in no condition to take them home. She lay down on her side and settled in for the long drive and Chouji climbed in after her. The spinning in her head had subsided to a pleasant buzz but she was still sleepy, so when his warm bulk settled in behind her she snuggled a bit closer.

She knew she probably shouldn't, but the alcohol told her it was okay, just this once, like it did every time. They had never spoken of it but she knew how he felt about her. She was usually very careful to keep the boundaries of their friendship clear. She just wasn't interested in him like that. And yet… He was the one constant in her life, the dependable friend who she could ask for anything, and feel comfortable asking too. Hell, he knew what she needed without being asked. Trip to the airport? He offered before she could ask. Ride home in the early hours of the morning? No problem. Someone to bitch to about work? He was there to listen. He was the best friend she had ever had. But he wanted more.

Ino could give all kind of excuses why she wouldn't chance it. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to lose him as a friend. They were too different. She wasn't ready for long-term commitment. All true, but all excuses nonetheless. She was scared. She wasn't physically attracted to him, and she'd heard that was pretty important. Thinking of herself in _that_ kind of situation with anyone made her feel uncomfortable. Few people knew it, but she had actually done very little with the opposite sex. More than one relationship had ended, one way or the other, when her boyfriends demanded more than she was ready to give. But with Chouji… thinking of herself in _that_ kind of a situation with him made her feel… anxious.

Maybe it was more than that though. Maybe that was just another excuse. Maybe. What if they did get into a serious relationship? What if he decided he didn't like her after all? What if she got bored? Could she give up her freedom? What if they weren't happy? Was it worth giving up all the good things they had now to find out?

One more question haunted her. What if he doesn't wait, and finds somebody else? She might lose him anyway. Ino realized, then, that she wanted him to wait. That maybe she did think of him as boyfriend material. But not yet. So selfish! So true. She was not ready. And maybe, while she was making him wait, someone else would catch on to how wonderful he was and take him from her. Ino didn't want to think about it. Her body gave her the excuse she needed; she was just so sleepy! The low rumble of the engine was lulling her to near unconsciousness.

So when the hesitant weight of an arm snuck over her waist, she pretended not to notice. He must have thought she was sleeping because he leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her hair. Ino's heart ached but still she didn't react. He sighed. She knew that if she stirred, he would remove his arm and move away. She knew he would be gone by the time they made the first stop. She knew that he thought she couldn't remember, didn't know. It hurt, a little, that he thought she was oblivious to him, that he believed she took him for granted and cheerfully carried on. Maybe she did. She didn't want to think about it. So Ino lay quietly and enjoyed having her body tenderly cradled as she drifted closer to sleep. His warm breath drifted through her hair and she couldn't recall ever having felt so comfortable. This is so nice…


End file.
